Reach rod



June 23, 1925. 1,543,365

A. Bf BREEZE REACH ROD Filed Feb. l5, 1922 :nl ,I v l/l//l/lllW/ll/'n infill/111111'.

yieldingly held in the usual manner.

`Patented June 23, 1925.

1 UNITED STATES 1,543,365 PATENT OFFlCE./"

ALFRED B. BREEZE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO'TVHE CINCINNA'II/iBALL CRANK COMPANY, 0F OAKLEY, CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF//OHIO.

REACH BOD.

Application filed February 16, 1922. Serial No. 537,101.

To a?? lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALFRED B. BREEZE, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reach Rods, of which the following specification is a full disclosure.

My invention relates generally to improvements in steering reach-rods, draglinks, or the like, used on automobiles, the invention being particularly directed to the construction of the hubs or sockets at the ends of the rods, and to the manner of inserting and fastening the ball arms within said hubs or sockets.

lt has been the practice to introduce the end or ball portion of the ball-crank, sidewise through the enlarged portion of a. key-hole slot formed in the wall of the hub or socket, and to then slide the crank toward and into the narrow portion of the slot, within which the crank thereafter operates, the ball end of the saine being t is inconvenient to assemble the parts, it being required to insert the ball end of the crank arm through the keyhole slot and between the seat, and such construction also necessitates the provision of means for preventing the withdrawal of the ball with the breakage of a spring or other socket parts, and it isl an object of the invention to entirely overcome the possibility of detachment and to facilitate the assembling of the parts by substituting for the keyhole slot, an elongated slot of relatively narrow width, and open to the outer periphery of the hub, into which the ball-crank is introduced from the open end of the hub or socket, the elongated slot further providing suiicient arm operating clearance, which is not provided by the old keyhole form of slot.

A feature of the invention is the provision of means for reenforcing the walls of` the socket adjacent its outer end, this means being supported by a combination hubclosure, and tension regulating device.

Another feature is the provision of a socket or vhub formed of a section of a tubing and 'attached to the rod, or link, by swaging.

The features of my invention are set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure l is an attached end view of my improved hub or socket closure.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, only a portion of the rod being therein shown.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is an elevation showing my improved form of crank-arm slot.

Figure 5 is an end view of Fig. 4.

Figure 6 illustrates a form of hub lattached by swaging to the bar.

A portion only of the rod or link is shown at l, which rod may be provided at each end with a hub or socket 2, only one of such hubs being herein shown. Tlie hub may be made to form a continuation of the bar or link, by swaging or expanding the bar, or, as shown in Fig. 6 at 2a, may be separately formed and attached to the bar or connecting rod by swaging, both formations being herein contemplated. Referringl to the Figs. l to 5 inclusive. The hub or socket is formed by expanding or swaging the bar, at its end, to provide an enlarged hub, socket or chamber, having a shoulder 3. An elongated slot l is formed in the wall of the hub, extending approximately. the entire length thereof, which slot is open at the outer end of the hub. The width of the slot 4C is less than the diameter of the ball end 5 of the ball crank arm 6, but is greater than the diameter of said arm. The ball end is introduced from the open end of the hub and slot, said slot being of suchwidth and length that the arm 6 has ample operative play therein. The general operation of the universal joint is well known, but the means for adjusting the tension of the socket blocks 7, and the assembly and retention of the same, constitute features of my invention.

vIn the form of assembly shown, a cushion spring 8a is first introduced and engaged with the shoulder 3; against this spring a cylindrical socket block 7 is placed. 4The ball end 5 of the crank is then introduced and engaged with the concave of the socket block 7 A second socket block is placed against the opposite side of the ball end 5, this block being held thereagainst by the following described improved means. The assembly arrangement of the parts may be arranged to meet the different requirements, as springs ma be interposed at the opposite ends of the mally is of any external diameter to be ensoc et member or a sin e spring at either gaged endwise into the reduced rtion 2 of end of said socket mem er. The outer end of the. hub is threaded at 10, these threads being engageable with corresponding threads 11, of the closure cap 12.

Attached centrally at the interior of the cap 12 byimeans of peripheral tangs 12 is a cylindrical cu -shaped member 13, the outer diameter o? which is substantially equal to the interior diameter of the hub or socket and is designed to be introduced into said hub as the cap is screwed into place, to support and strengthen the hub or socket wall againstA collapse. The closure cap thus functions as a tension-adjusting means, and as a strut or plu support for the hub wall, the result being t at a structure is produced which makes it impossible for the ballcrank arm to become detached from its slot, the slot, in addition, having the ample dimensions required for the proper functioning of the arm therein.

The closed end of the member en ages the louter end of the outer socket-block g?, and as the cap is rotated the degree of tension between the blocks and ball-end 5 can be properly adjusted and the cap then held from subsequent rotation by a split key or cotter pin 20 passed through aligned openings 2l, 22, of the cap 12 and member 13, and through elongated diametrically opposed slots 23 of the hub or socket. The slots 23 are of suiiicient length to permit theca to be adjusted in either direction. A bus ing 25, interiorly threaded is atta'ched in the hub or socket wall, to which a grease cu may be secured for lubricating the hub parts.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the hub or socket 2* is formed from a separate section of tubing and is attached to the end of the link. The tube section is reduced as at 2b, to form a shoulder 2.

The link 1 has a swaged end to form an open ended tubular portion 1 which norvmgasint the hub 2*. The rod is provide with an annular sto or shoulder lb formed in the process o swaging the endk of the rod, the shoulder or stop abuttin the edge of the hub ortion 2b. The rov and hub are securedp together by expandin the tubular end of the rod within the hub a ut the shoulder 2, securely uniting the sections together.

It is obvious, however, that the rod may be of tubular structure throughout and formed with an annular shoulder or abutment to limit the insertion depth of the rod into the end of the hub.

A substantial hub or socket is thus pro duced, at small cost, this form of hub having been found to be e ual in every respect to the integral hub. The metal of the wall of the hub 2a is punched to form a greasecup attaching extension 25", thus eliminating the necessity for the use of a separate bushe other orm of my invention. The slot 4 is identical in form and function with the slot 4.

Having described my invention, I claimz' A closure and reenforcement ca for a tubular socket comprising two cylindrical cups, one of said cups attached concentrically at the interior of the other, said concentrically attached cup diametrically equal to the interior diameter of the tubular socket to which it is to be attached, and designed to engage, support, and reenforce the walls of said socket when said closure cap is positioned to close the end of said socket, and alignable apertures in said cups, and in said'hub, traversible by aa pin, for locking said ca In wltness whereof, I hereunto` subscribe my name, as attested by the two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED B. BREEZE. Witnesses:

L. A. BECK, R. Krsnmn. 

